Commercial drivers are required by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to pass a physical exam and receive certification that they are in good enough health to be safe driving a commercial vehicle. A standard certification is good for two years, but people with certain health conditions must have a DOT physical more often. This year, there’s a new wrinkle in getting a DOT physical.

“Now you can’t necessarily just go to your primary care doctor to get a DOT physical,” explains Bryan Nelson, MD, Family and Community Medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center. “As of May 21, 2014, health care providers must be specially licensed to give DOT physicals. There’s a surprisingly rigorous test you have to pass to become one of these providers.”

Dr. Nelson is licensed to perform DOT physicals, and has been offering this service at the Golden Valley Clinic since mid-August. He describes the exam: “In many respects, it’s like a routine annual physical exam. But there are a couple aspects of an annual physical that are not done as part of the DOT physical. There’s no blood draw. We do a urine test, but it’s just to make sure there’s no glucose or protein in the urine.”

How to get a DOT physical

Health insurance doesn’t cover DOT physicals. Dr. Nelson and the Golden Valley Clinic offer DOT physicals for a flat fee of $109. Assuming you pass, you will receive a certificate at the end of the exam.

You can schedule an appointment by phone or email. Call 612-873-6963 or email gvdotphysicals@hcmed.org to schedule your DOT physical.

Golden Valley Clinic, conveniently located in the Spring Gate Shopping Mall on Duluth St., partners with patients of all ages to maintain and improve their health by offering comprehensive primary care services as well as complementary treatment options.